CPSIA Lead Ban Update Photos

MotoUSA takes a look at the bikes and families affected by the CPSIA Lead Law that would ban children’s OHVs. Read the full details in our CPSIA Lead Ban Update – What Now? article.

The first stay of enforcement expired and another was put in its place which is set to run out on December 31, 2011.

KTM has a range of youth motorcycles and is a popular choice for serious racers.

Title I of the Act spells out the details and it doesn’t take much to be over the proposed limit.

It’s been almost three years since the CPSIA became public law and our industry and lawmakers are still in a state of limbo.

The purpose of the so-called Lead Law was to prevent children from the dangers of ingesting lead. Obviously it was well-intended, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was too broad with its application to any product intended for children age 12 and under.

Honda's CRF150R is a super-mini racer. It is unaffected by the law but is the next step up from those bikes that are.

The CPSC won’t pull the trigger on exclusions because of the way the clause is written. It says “any lead” which means absolutely zero, and that’s tough to prove.

MotoUSA borrowed some of the most popular machines for young riders to see what we’d all be missing out on, and talked to families to get their take on this ridiculous law.

OEMs started to realize that not only was the lead content a problem, but the cost associated with mandatory third-party testing was going to be unfeasible as well.

The initial uproar of concerned motorcyclists and ATV riders put the CPSC on guard and so the finger pointing began.

The Lead Law was written with a clause that allowed the CPSC to exclude products which were deemed safe based on the “best-available, objective, per-reviewed, scientific evidence.”

August 14, 2008 is not a date that’s burned into the American psyche. Unfortunately, for those who ride motorcycles and ATVs with their kids, it marked the beginning of a long, frustrating battle to preserve our way of life.

Yamaha offers the TT-R family, like this 110E. It recently brought back the TT-R50E and PW50.

The Kawasaki KLX110L is a little larger than the standard 110 and offers a manual clutch.

Honda's TRX90X is a fun, safe and easy-to-use ATV.

At their roots, motorcycling and ATV riding are family sports.

It's impossible to count how many people learned to ride on the Yamaha PW50.

Lead is not a real concern for OHVs. Instead, rider training and better off-road access are issues that need attention.

Honda's CRF100F is one of the larger youth machines. Anything bigger than this in the Honda line and the performance and weight start to increase considerably.

Honda's CRF50 is perhaps the most iconic mini bike.

The CRF70 is a perfect way for kids to step up from their 50cc bikes.

The Yamaha YZ85 is another youth racer designed for kids over 12 years.

Kids don't really understand the dangers of lead, but they know better than to eat their motorcycles.

Even though kids’ bikes are still being sold at the moment, if they were to be fully banned, that isn’t going to stop kids from riding dirt bikes and ATVs. They’ll just be riding the wrong type of machine.

With the changing of Congressional sessions, new legislation had to be introduced and now the bills have new names or numbers, making it a bit more confusing than usual.

Getting people angry about the CPSIA has never been the problem. Getting the proper legislation and large amounts of support behind it has been.

Not only are bike sales threatened, but aftermarket and replacment parts also.

The law enforcement is postponed along with testing requirements at least until the end of the year, which means we can still get these bikes and ATVs without problem.

Lead is found in many parts of an OHV such as battery terminals, tire valve stems, frames, engine cases, fasteners, carburetors, etc.

It would be nearly impossible to teach proper skills in a safe manner on large machines.

The Kawasaki KX85 is not affected by the Lead Law, but it is the type of machine that kids would be forced to ride without smaller options.

Kawi's KX85 is a potent machine. It also makes a 65cc version which is one of the more affordable options in that class.

If nothing changes in the next six months this might be the last time to surprise Junior with a new bike on Christmas morning.

Positive feedback in recent months shows that the effort to get this situation fixed is gaining popularity with lawmakers and with the public.

What now? The answer is that we still don’t have an answer.

The best option at the moment is the Kids Just Want to Ride Act (H.R. 412).

Parents are concerned whether or not they’re going to have to find black-market parts to support their favorite family pastime.

The idea of ingesting any part of their motorcycles was pretty ridiculous to every kid we've talked to, and parents aren’t very concerned about lead either.